The Big Night
by FlowerofAdversity
Summary: Taking place around Season 1 of Code Lyoko, Susanne has just been asked out by Jim and comes to grips with her attraction towards him. Meanwhile, Odd and his friends snoop on the loveydovey couple.


The Big Night

Note: Code Lyoko fan-fiction taking place around Season 1, after the incident with the pink cell phone in Susanne's class. Susanne realizes she has a crush on Jim, and tells Yolande about how she feels, particularly since Jim has asked her out on a date ! Wanting to help make the occasion special, Sissi decides to make the event one that will be unforgettable.

Chapter 1—The Wealthy Princess Overhears

Elisabeth "Sissi" Delmas, the only daughter of Kadic Junior High's resident principal, had managed to retrieve her prized pink flip-open cell phone after some clever thinking and an ingenious technique called "return to the past now". She had told Jeramie to use the process after battling XANA on Lyoko, and without anyone being the wiser, she had gotten her mobile back into her hands and was using it as if nothing had happened. The other students had also gotten their mobiles returned earlier in the day, but they remembered, they had to turn them off before class and use them during lunch hours or when they were taking a break.

Before Sissi was going to make a call to one of her best friends, she could hear Susanne talking to Yolande, and she was quite surprised at what she overheard.

"Yolande, I am a little apprehensive.", Susanne said, kneading her hands nervously.

Yolande put her hand on Susanne's shoulder and smiled gently, seeming to know what was going on.

"Don't be sweetie. I'm sure you'll be fine. No worries.", Yolande said, soothingly.

"I haven't been on a date in _years_. James asked me out this weekend, and I'm not sure what I should wear.", Susanne retorted, still a bit anxious.

"Jim asked you out ? Oh my.", Yolande said, unable to say much of anything else.

"Truth is, I've had a bit of a crush on him for so long, and it feels like our relationship is moving a little fast.", Susanne confessed.

"Just let it come as it will, dear. Your date will be fantastic.", Yolande said.

"Thank you for your confidence. I'm still a little antsy, but I suppose that's only natural.", Susanne said.

"Just be yourself, dear ! What time do you have to be ready ?", Yolande said, becoming giddy and slightly giggly.

"7:00 pm tonight. I don't even know where we're going out to eat, but I'm sure that James will choose someplace that is nice. I've got butterflies just thinking about it !", Susanne said.

"You're in love, dear, and I couldn't be more pleased. If anyone deserves to love and be loved, it's you.", Yolande said before Susanne went to class. Sissi wanted to do something special for the two of them, considering they had both taken care of her, respectively, as a baby.

She didn't have enough information to make the necessary plans to have Lionel pick Susanne and Jim up for a night they wouldn't forget. She sighed. Yet, she wasn't about to give up.

Somehow or another, she would be able to have Lionel meet them and deliver them to their chosen destination.

Chapter 2—A Bit More Digging

The clock's ticking was on the side of the children as they prepared for the big date that night. Yet, none of them were worried or too harried to make this night memorable. Sissi had gathered up more information by hearsay that Susanne would be met at her home by Jim, but Sissi would have Lionel pick him up at his house before he even got into his car to drive to Susanne's. Lionel would be well-prepared, considering the limousine had a GPS and he wouldn't have to do much searching to find out where he lived. She wasn't certain how her caretaker would respond to the magenta limo once it rolled up to his driveway, but she couldn't think of that now. The plan had been set in motion, but she didn't know that Odd was going to pull her into a world of further eavesdropping. She knew it was wrong, but her curiosity had gotten the better of her.

Before Jim could pull his car out of the garage, he saw a magenta limousine waiting for him in his driveway.

"What's this all about ?", he questioned. Lionel stepped out and informed him that the mistress had decreed this and that she wanted to make his evening with Susanne special. Jim, not really knowing what to say, was very flattered and touched and thanked Lionel. He wanted to give him a tip for his trouble, but Lionel refused.

"Please, Sir. This is out of the good of the mistress' heart. Where to next ?", Lionel asked, his violet eyes shining merrily. Jim was astonished by Lionel's kindness and got into the limo, telling him he wished to pick up Susanne Hertz. Before long, they had arrived and Lionel honked the horn to beckon her to come out.

When Susanne stepped out of her house, she looked much like Audrey Hepburn did in _Breakfast at Tiffany's_, sans the long cigarette wand. She was absolutely breathtaking and he had to take a few deep breaths to calm himself before calling her to the limo.

"What a pleasant surprise ! Was the limo your idea, James ?", she asked, rushing to the automobile as quickly as her stiletto heels would allow.

"Actually it was Sissi's. I don't know why she did it, but I want to thank her once the night is over.", Jim said, smiling as he opened the car door for her. Even Jim looked dapper in a tuxedo and had his hair combed back. He had shaven and not a stray whisker stuck out from his chin. His eyes had that lovely twinkle as they always did when he was around his beautiful princess. As she as she got in and he got in (shutting the doors, of course), the two were driven to their restaurant.

Chapter 3—Snooping During the Magical Moment

Ulrich and Odd were sitting far enough away where they couldn't be seen as they watched Susanne and Jim talking and laughing together.

"Is anything _exciting_ happening yet ?", Odd asked, trying to see over Ulrich's head.

Ulrich looked over his shoulder and sighed.

"No, they're just talking and laughing. Why did you get us involved in snooping on them anyhow ? If they see us, we'll get into trouble.", Ulrich said, gritting his teeth a bit. He wasn't too pleased that he had gone along with Odd's plan.

"I agree, Odd. I think we should get going.", Sissi agreed, starting to feel really uncomfortable about the situation.

Naomi nudged Odd in the ribcage. It seemed that Susanne was holding Jim's hand.

"Ah, now matters become more interesting…", Odd said, perking up.

"I think we've seen enough. Can we just go ?", Yumi said, trying to sneak out without any of them noticing while Sissi followed, but they were pulled back by Nicholas.

"It's just getting _good_ !", Nicholas said, chuckling while he had his mouth covered.

"I don't like this though. We're going to be spotted if we're not careful !", Sissi warned for the second time, but then Odd was doing all he could to keep from cheering the happy couple on. The two of them had just kissed, and were now gazing in each others' eyes ponderously. Jim was about to kiss her again tenderly when he caught something from the corner of his eye. Odd could've sworn he had been spotted.

"I think our cover's been blown !", Herve said, scrambling out of the restarant.

"I'm right behind you, Herve.", Nicholas added, rushing out as well. The friends didn't know whether they had been spotted or not, but Odd had been extremely tricky. He had taken a covert picture on his pen camera that Jeramie had lent to him and noticed the tiny picture on the inside of the pen's cover. He could hardly wait to hook the pen up to his computer and blow the photo up for _everyone _at school. Of course, Sissi could see he had that mischievous look in his eye and reproved him with some strictness in her voice.

"If I were your mother, I wouldn't allow you to do whatever you are planning with that little photo there. I'm surprised at you, Odd DellaRobia, and you should be ashamed of yourself.", Sissi lamented, stroking her finger and clucking her tongue.

"You already _sound_ like my mom…", Odd said, as he was dragged away by his collar and taken out of the restarant. They all kept their backs to the wall, panting, hoping they hadn't been spotted. Fortunately for all of them, Jim's glance was nothing more than him trying to get the attention of one of the waiters to fill his goblet with more wine.

_Back at Kadic in the dormitories… _

Jeramie was instant messaging his friends, wondering what had happened while he was away studying in the library.

"So, did I miss anything ?", he questioned.

"Ah, just a couple kisses between Jim and Susanne, which were particularly passionate.", Odd said, adding an emoticon with wiggling eyebrows.

"Don't you dare show that picture here…I am hoping you deleted it.", Sissi warned, sounding maternal again.

"Yes, _mother_. I'm sorry. Odd's been a bad boy, and he won't ever do it again.", Odd said, sounding a bit sassy in his tone.

The others typed out their laughter and in reality, were laughing so hard their sides hurt.

"If you don't believe him, I as well as the others saw the two lovebirds smooching. That's enough proof for me, don't you think, Braniac ?", Herve said.

"Sure. Besides, I think it is better for us to keep this secret. We don't want to become gossips.", Jeramie answered.

"Look, it's really late. We should all go to bed before lights out.", Yumi alerted.

"Yumi's right. Besides, tomorrow's another day of school. We have to get up early.", Naomi agreed.

With that, the friends began to say goodnight and goodbye before signing off for the evening before going to bed.

Chapter 4—How the Evening Closes In

Before having Susanne dropped off by Lionel, Jim walked her to the door.

"I had a tremendous time, James. I had no idea you felt the same way I do about you.", she said, in a soft, tender, affectionate tone.

"I was waiting for you, and I will keep waiting. I'd wait beyond all time just to hear that you love me. Just promise me one thing.", Jim said, holding her hands gently before she departed.

"What's that, James ?", Susanne asked, a slight tint of rose to her cheeks.

"Don't stop saying you love me. I need to be reminded.", Jim said, chuckling lightly. She kissed him one final time, and held him close to her for a bit before she slipped out of his grasp, giggling and told him farewell and goodnight. Jim sighed dreamily and walked back to the limo as if he were dancing.

Jim took his time getting back into the limousine, and Lionel could swear he heard the coach singing as he took him back home. Jim still wanted to give Lionel something for his troubles, and of course, Lionel refused.

"As I stated before, Sir, this was done out of my mistress' good heart. It gives my heart such elation to know you had a pleasant evening. This is our stop, Sir. Goodnight. I'll give the mistress your words of approval upon returning, you can count on that.", Lionel said, stopping the car, getting out and opening the door for Jim. Jim wasn't used to such royal treatment and knew he would have to repay Sissi somehow. He waved gregariously as the magenta limo rolled away and sped into the sunset. Yawning and stretching, he entered his home with a song in his heart and feeling as if he could walk on water.

Chapter 5—A Surprise Gift

Sissi awoke the next day and she received a fairly sizeable gift-basket from Jim and Susanne for having Lionel drive them around to _Chez Marques_. She was overjoyed to see so many sweet treats waiting for her, Lionel and Jean-Pierre.

"It seems both parties were very grateful, Ms. Delmas.", Lionel said, rather bemused with the size of the gift, being a bit obvious and silly as he often was.

"No kidding, Lionel ! Look at all of these _cookies_ ! Question is, how on earth did they know sugar cookies were my favorite ?", she said, wolfing one down as soon as she dug it out of the basket. Jean gave Lionel a covert wink and the two laughed. Sissi simply shrugged and prepared to get ready for school as she often did, looking forward to the fabulous weather and education that awaited her.

Jeramie was walking to class with the rest of the gang as Sissi walked up to them. They all said hello, but then went in different directions. Sissi noticed that Odd was smiling quite a bit at her. She giggled slightly at that and wondered what he could be thinking and focused her attention to one of her favorite courses, home economics.

Chapter 6—The Reason for the Date

It seemed that as often as Jim and Susanne could they would go out on dates and this weekend was no exception. Instead of going out to eat to an expensive restaurant like _Chez Marques_, they went to the movies to see the most recent romantic comedy that had been dubbed into French. They were sitting together enjoying some popcorn and talking quietly as the movie began to start. What they didn't know was that Odd, yet again, had dragged them into watching them as the date progressed.

Sissi hadn't gone along with Odd to the movies since she was busy with homework and had been inundated with more work than she originally wanted. She had planned on going to the mall with her friends but that outing would have to come at a later date.

"It's a shame that Jeramie, Herve and Sissi can't be with us.", Nicholas noted.

"You know, I do kind of miss not having Sissi here. She's sort of like my conscious. I know I shouldn't be doing this but my curiosity always gets the better of me. Ha, well, where love leads, therefore shall I go.", Odd said.

"You make less and less sense the more I get to know you.", Ulrich said and the children were shushed as the film began.

What the children learned from the date was that dates weren't fun unless you were the one having them, but they had also been surprised that today was Susanne's birthday. She was turning 45 but didn't look a day over 20-something. Her lovely visage had no wrinkles or creases. Susanne still had a bit of child-like wonder when it came to teaching and enjoying life day to day. Her love of the simplistic was quite complex in and of itself, but Jim had been taught a thing or two that the most marvelous moments happen in the every day and one must embrace that moment.

As the credits began rolling, Odd and his friends started leaving the theatre. They had been lucky not to be caught at _Chez Marques_, but unfortunately, Jim had caught sight of them leaving.

"What's the meaning of this ?", Jim questioned, slightly annoyed.

"That's an excellent question, really.", Nicholas answered with a nervous laugh.

"You're not helping !", Naomi added through gritted teeth.

"I just wanted to see where you were going. I'm sorry…It won't happen again.", Odd said, looking rather defeated. He had come to grips with the fact that dates were indeed a private matter meant for two, not a crowd.

Jim saw himself in the lad. He was rather curious at his age as well, and was still learning from his curiosity daily. He chuckled a bit about what Odd had said. His laughter caught the students slightly off guard.

"I'll let it slide…_this_ time. If I catch you again, I'll make you read The Man in the Iron Mask.", Jim said, with a bit of a warning.

"Oooh, that's quite a tome. Not to mention a terrific book.", Ulrich whispered, and Odd shot him a mean glance.

"What ?!", Ulrich said, unaware Odd was capable of frustration such as that.

"We're sorry, Jim. Hey, I tried telling them it was a bad idea, but they never listen to their superiors.", Yumi said, brown-nosing slightly.

Jim laughed as he noticed the oldest tactic in the book being used splendidly by the eldest in the pack.

"No worries. James and I forgive you. Besides, I knew you were here the whole time. I could hear you laughing.", Susanne said, with a bit of a smirk.

"I told you she could hear us !", Ulrich whispered.

"Thank you, your forgiveness is appreciated.", Naomi answered. Yumi was the one to lead them out of the theatre. By the time they left, they sighed a collective exhalation of relief.

At least they had gotten out of Odd's shenanigans without getting seriously in trouble.

But Odd had learned his lesson. Instead of letting curiosity get him in trouble, he would use it towards his advantage from now on.

Chapter 7—The Following Days

Odd was more well-behaved in the following days remembering the looming punishment of Dumas' The Man In the Iron Mask for added work. With that horrid nightmare in mind, he knew it was better to mind his p's and q's rather than to do something he might possibly regret. After all, watching other people date was rather sleep inducing.

It was the weekend and some pop up storms had been coming in and out of the area. Confining the students to their rooms, most of them gathered together to play board games and pass the time with cards and music. Others just slept, being lulled into dreams by the gentle pitter-patter of the rain. It was a rather boring day until the storms cleared up and the students went outside. There was a glorious rainbow in the distance. Many of the nature lovers were sketching this stunning phenomenon while shutterbugs were snapping photos of it. It was an auspicious occasion that soon faded as the water evaporated in the air.

Nothing really exciting happened on this weekend, which was unusual, but not altogether unheard of. Everyone on campus now knew that Susanne and Jim were an item. It was old news by now though, but many of the students and faculty were happy that the two were dating happily and that their relationship was so strong. The two were lost in bliss from time to time, but that didn't keep them from doing their job and being focused on the task of enlightening young minds.

Epilogue 

With summer approaching, the student's minds were drifting towards vacation and less on their class schedules, but they did their best to keep their minds focused more on what was truly important. Summer break would come soon enough and the campus would be cleaned and tended to before all but the library was shut down for vacation.

The weather was agreeable as students walked back and forth between classes as the day continued with a steady pace. Odd was chatting with his friends and noticed Jim and Susanne walking together _holding hands_ as they walked. He smiled to himself, thinking it might be nice to experience that, but as far as he was concerned, there were plenty of beautiful girls that would be glad to spend a moment in his illustrious presence. And of course, Sissi got somewhat jealous, but she loved Odd anyway.

Odd made a commitment never to snoop around when Jim and Susanne were at the movies, at a ritzy eatery, or elsewhere ever again. Instead, he focused his eyes more on good-looking ladies, particularly Sissi, who would become the love of his life. He was glad he could chat with Sissi and his other friends on their mobile phones and use them as communicators in their ever-continuous war against XANA and his virtual forces.

Jim and Sue's relationship continued to bloom like a flower as well. They were totally committed to each other, and were planning on marrying someday. That would come in all due time, but they were taking their relationship steadily. Neither of them knew what the future held, yet for the moment they took each day one step and enjoyed simply being alive and free to love unconditionally.

The End


End file.
